Re: Suspension losses

On 1/10/2025 5:19 AM, zen cycle wrote:

 I never could get used to the RPN data entry method

For the sorts of computations Mechanical Engineers sometimes make, it's much more efficient. I'm talking about evaluating complex formulas with multiple layers of parentheses. Something like equation 10-28 at
https://engineeringlibrary.org/reference/shaft-analysis-air-force-stress-manual
For a while, I was one of the guys teaching the walk-in-the-door "Intro" class to students entering our programs. Part of that was efficiently using one's calculator. Guys with Algebraic entry calculators tended to get lost in the layers of parentheses. The few guys with RPNs tended to be much faster, with fewer mistakes.
But a person does have to get used to the RPN procedure - which is really, just approaching the problem the way you'd do it by hand.
--
- Frank Krygowski